


The Gage Problem

by PinupGhoul



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Edgeplay, Edging, Emotionally Repressed, F/M, Porn with Feelings, children of atom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:53:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26699332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinupGhoul/pseuds/PinupGhoul
Summary: Nuka-World's new Overboss can't afford distractions on her way to the top. Gage is very distracting.
Relationships: Porter Gage/Original Character(s), Porter Gage/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 9





	The Gage Problem

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Again! I have arisen from the depths. Here's a little something that's been sitting in my notes folder since the beginning of summer. Echo isn't a sole survivor, she was born and raised in the Wasteland. 
> 
> Thanks for reading <3

“Think we better hold that off till tomorrow.”

Who does he think he is, anyway? Echo seethed. Her pride stung. Was she supposed to forgive that just because it came wrapped in that lopsided grin?

The sweltering sun of high noon beat down on her nearly-bare back as she rummaged through the loot her gang had gifted her in tribute. The bottle of Quantum in her bag rattled invitingly. At some point she’d have to sneak off behind a building and drink it where no one could watch. Seemed that would be the highlight of her day, now that Gage had apparently made other plans. What was his problem?

They’d been out here all day in the miserable heat, cutting through gatorclaws, fighting til their bodies ached. All she wanted was a break. And then they went and got...emotional. Who cared who started it? Definitely him, though, bringing up vulnerable shit in that sweet drawl, looking at her like she was worth something. And yeah, maybe she’d spent some time watching his back—in both senses of the word—but it didn’t explain how they’d gotten around to discussing feelings.

She trusted him. That was the problem. When he told her he’d always stay by her side, she believed him. Her chest clenched up in that stupid way that made her want to cry. Just imagining him leaving had her heart pounding. So she told him.

“I think we should be together.” The sweat, scars, and patches of radioactive gatorclaw blood on her clothes were all worth it for the look of shock on his face.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Maybe? ‘Together’ didn’t mean a lot on its own. Did she want him by her side? Yes. Did she want to fuck him into next week? Yes. And did she maybe, a little bit, want to stand on the balcony of the Fizztop Grille, surveying their kingdom, with his hand in hers?

“Yes.”

After that admission, the plan should have been to head back to her quarters as fast as possible, if not just make do against the nearest wall. She needed his hands on her this instant. And he’d given her “til tomorrow”? He obviously didn’t need her that bad if he was willing to hold off, all calm and controlled. She bit her lip beneath the camo bandana. Pack full of loot, eyes full of rage, she turned to him and said in her best attempt at diplomacy, “We have a job tomorrow. Claiming a settlement.”

He grinned back at her, already a step ahead. “I know. That’s why I figured we’d wait til after. Can’t run a job if you can’t walk.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Well, she couldn’t run a job without sleep, either, yet here she was, staring at the ceiling. Spread out across both mattresses, she glared at no one in particular. Gage had no doubt gone to sleep already in his little room inside, a smug smile on his face. How long had he worked on that line? ‘If you can’t walk’. Sure. He could keep telling himself he was that good. He couldn’t be too skilled with those clumsy, calloused hands, big enough to pin both her wrists. Or with those broad shoulders getting in the way; no good could come from all that rippling muscle, tanned and waiting for her nails to rake across. He barely even had enough hair to get a fistful of, just enough to tug.

She flopped over and buried her face in the pillow. When had she ever been so pent up? Since the Far Harbor disaster, she’d been completely on her own, and it was making her brain act stupid. Why else would it keep fixating on even the little unsexy details? Gage had a big nose, crooked from being broken a couple of times. She hadn’t seen what hid beneath his eyepatch. His cheeks were weathered and covered in patchy stubble. None of that should have made her feel any kind of way. And yet...

And yet she had to admit the fantasy of kissing him kept her awake just as often as her dirtier dreams.

Like the one she’d just started, in which he burst into her room, unable to keep himself away any longer and bent her over the railing of the lift. In her fantasy, she could see out over the entire park, so high up it made her stomach flip. Only Gage’s warm palm on the small of her back kept her from tumbling over the edge as he thrust into her, again and again, so sweet it was almost enough to get her there...

No. She pulled her hand back from her waistband. If she got herself off now, he’d hear her through the thin walls. He’d know the effect his words had on her. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Flipping back over and crossing her arms over her chest, she sighed. She wouldn’t give herself the satisfaction either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Somehow she fell into a frustrated, fitful sleep, for the next thing she knew, she awoke to sharp sunbeams glinting off the fragments of glass in the windows. She blinked, making sure she was alone before swapping the camo bandana out for a red one. It needed to stand out, so her crew could find her in the flurry of battle.

They took the monorail into the Commonwealth proper, raiders crammed toe to toe in the limited space. In the interest of keeping shares fair, the Pack were chosen to break off the first piece of land. They bustled together, rifles clicking, bullets sliding into chambers, raiders snarling under feathered, antlered masks. Drooling like rabid dogs. She felt instantly guilty for thinking it. Dogs deserved a better comparison.

Gage stood beside her the whole way, the jostle of the monorail bumping his hip against hers every few minutes. Echo swayed in place, quietly burning. What would happen if she just pulled him to her, grinding against him, dragging him to his knees right here in the crowded train? The Pack would approve. Nothing could be more true to her base nature than claiming him right here. Wasn’t that what they all stood for? Embracing the inner animal?

She flicked a smile up at Gage, who was blissfully unaware of her thoughts. He couldn’t see the smile either, but she offered it to him anyway. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked off into the distance. Calculating. Leave it to him to cautiously plan out this raid, perfectly plotting every detail.

In the old days, before she’d become the Overboss, her crew followed a set of standing orders. Go in, shoot everything that moves, take everything left over. With Gage it was different; he considered all the possibilities and planned for anything that might go wrong. How had she survived this long without him?

He glanced down and cracked a smile. Her breath left her in a whoosh. Damn. Naughty thoughts all ran straight out of her mind when he looked like that. He deserved better than a rough fuck in the middle of this smelly crowd. Silk sheets, champagne, and just the two of them. A man like him deserved romance. She scoffed. What did she know about romance? It made people weak, stupid, and she wanted no part of it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She fueled all her self-loathing into bloodlust when they reached Taffington Boathouse. Taken up by a band of Gunners, the little settlement couldn’t read her mind, didn’t see how soft she’d become. They only knew fear as she and the Pack wiped them out without mercy. Cutting through the melee, she took a man down with a bullet to the back of the knee. A Pack scavver in a stag mask finished the job, leaving only the raiders remaining. A flag waved over their new territory. Job well done.

“I’m impressed,” Gage said across the now-empty boathouse, “Thought you might be a little preoccupied, but you handled that like a pro.”

She stalked over to stand beside him, having to crane her neck to make eye contact. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m just doing my job.”

“Oh, so that’s how you wanna play it, huh?”

So what if she did? “I’m not playing anything. You know what I want. I know what you want. Why are you making this difficult?” Her voice gave out as she raised it, fizzling out at the ends of her words.

He put a hand on her shoulder, just lingering there, full of promise. His palm eclipsed a great deal of her shoulder and upper arm. It would be so easy, if he decided to break her. He wouldn’t. He was under her control.

“Maybe I just like seeing you a little riled up.”

Standing on her toes, she got up in his face, gripping onto his chest armor for leverage. “What the hell is this? Did you forget who I am?”

He leaned in close, breath warm against the front of her bandana. “Not at all. You’re the Overboss, toughest raider who ever lived.”

She nodded. Good.

“Which is why it’ll be something special when I get you to beg me for it.”

She let him go with a snarl. *First of all, fuck you. And second, fuck me.* “You—“

“Boss, we got a situation.” One of the others interrupted, running in clutching his bleeding arm.

“What now?”

“Minutemen. A bunch of them.”

Someone had let slip word of their next target. A small crowd of minutemen gathered in the road between the Boathouse and Greentop Nursery. Several laser muskets pointed up at the Pack.

“Your call, boss.”

Echo looked out at the miniature army, scanning for a familiar figure, the Commonwealth’s own golden child. Diamond City radio constantly sang her praises. Whether it was solving mysteries, rescuing innocents from the clutches of mutants, or protecting settlements from big, bad raiders, she was always up to something. That, or blowing up Children Of Atom strongholds.

Without her in charge, they might stand a chance. A handful of raiders versus a handful of minutemen? She liked those odds. Except...

Except for the twist of fear that ran up her spine. This wasn’t right. Her head screamed ambush or set up. When she looked at the Pack, she saw the faces of her old crew. The faces of those who didn’t make it back from patrol, forever frozen in expressions of pain. Red, black, and yellow, mouths open in screams, eyes just empty sockets. She gagged, bile burning the back of her throat. Breaths came in harsh, ragged pants; she desperately tried to pull in more air through the bandana. Not now, she couldn’t do this now.

Guns cocked behind Echo, her crew growing impatient. She couldn’t back down now, go belly up and submissive to some farmers in cowboy hats. They’d never let her live it down.

Damn. Why didn’t she bring the Operators? They could at least see sense. If by chance her crew managed to take down this bunch, their leader would only send more. She had enough followers to come avenge them. Too high profile.

The Vault Dweller, they called her, General of the Minutemen. She’d made herself a reputation, gunning down raiders and setting up all those pitiful little settlements. Condemning more people to boring lives of farming the irradiated dirt and scraping by.

Echo scanned the group. No surprise Garvey sent his army out here while he stayed safe behind castle walls. Still, that meant he’d find out if something happened to this bunch. There’d always be more, popping up like mole rats. Allies everywhere. If they cut down these ones, there’d be a second wave, angry and loyal.

She saluted them. “Keep walking. This has nothing to do with you.”

It seemed so familiar, a standoff like this. Good odds, an easy target, and yet her stomach clenched at the thought of squaring off. They needed to wait on this. Everything was telling her to go back, regroup. They could do this right, the real showdown that was always meant to happen. Just...not here. Preferably when her own pack of idiots wasn’t at stake. The militia had firepower, structure, and just about the same number of bodies. She’d lost a whole crew to two fighters before. The minutemen needed to go down, just not like this.

The words tasted like cowardice as she spat them out. “Turn around. Covering fire if they get too close. We’re coming back with the rest of the Pack.”

Frustrated groans broke the tense silence. “Come on! All this way for nothing?”

She grit her teeth. She wanted to scream. They were so close, ready to set up camp. The others itched to spill some blood, and she couldn’t blame them. They’d made it this far. And now their fearless leader was commanding them back to base, tail tucked between her legs?

“Whatever. Colter woulda had us torch them.” A young recruit, face obscured behind a rabbit mask, leveled his gun at one of the minutemen. The man trained his musket right back on him. “I say we—“

“Enough.” Gage pushed through to the front to stand beside Echo. “You know damn well Colter couldn’t get us this far. Now, the Boss is trying to save your sorry ass. You’re welcome to get yourself killed, but no one here is gonna back you up.”

He nodded at her. “Lead the way.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It still felt like a failure, the short walk back to the monorail. They lost two guys even before the minutemen showed, new recruits who let their guard down. It was never smart to underestimate anyone on their home turf. People fought tooth and nail to protect what was theirs.

She scraped her hair back from her eyes. It wasn’t full out war, she told herself. At least it didn’t blow up.

Sitting in one of the train seats, Echo flinched under the weight of a dozen stares. Didn’t those idiots know how close they came to death today? She saved their lives, and now they would report back to Mason how soft the new Overboss was.

“What was all that?” Gage stood, holding an overhead handle. From this position, his body completely shadowed hers.

“What was what?” He—and everyone else on this stupid train—needed to leave her alone.

“Didn’t figure you were the type to ‘live to fight another day’. Thought you were more into going down swinging.”

She did not need this, especially not from him. “Look, I tried to strategize. I’ll leave that to you next time.”

“I didn’t say you did the wrong thing. Just not the thing I’ve come to expect from you. You’ve lost people before.”

He didn’t ask it as a question, but she still felt like she needed to answer. “A small gang. Sixteen of us altogether. I thought we could handle it. We went in thinking it’s an easy target, got ambushed in the dark with no way to back out.”

“But you’re here to talk about it.”

“I’m the only one. That’s not...” her words died on her tongue. For once she couldn’t blame it on her raspy voice. “That’s not the kind of boss I am anymore. We all live together or we all die together.”

The eyepatch made it difficult to read his expression. Disappointment? “That’s an awfully big risk, tying yourself up in this bunch.”

“You said it yourself: I’m not Colter. I can’t just sit in my fancy house while everyone else does the fighting.”

The monorail slid into the station. She scrubbed her hand across her face, smearing her already messy eye paint. As she headed into the heart of Nuka World, she spoke over her shoulder. “Hey, Gage? Thanks. For having my back.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She hit the bed, all energy drained away. A combination of raiding and shame made her limbs ache. Was there something else she was supposed to be doing? It didn’t matter. Less than five minutes later, she was out.

It was lucky she slept; the next few days had her on her toes, running back and forth to quell the rumors of a major uprising. Word had definitely gotten back to Mason about her failure. From among the other factions, she heard everything from ‘he demands dibs on the next outpost’ to ‘he’s gunning to be Overboss’. It didn’t matter either way. It wasn’t his place to make demands of any kind. His place was firmly under her heel.

“Mason, what the fuck? I give you the biggest park, first cut of the new territory, and this is how you thank me?” Even drawn up to her full height she must not have looked too intimidating next to his bulk. The fire in her eyes squashed down any snickering from the gathered Pack. No one wanted that anger turned their way.

“You didn’t give us jack-shit. The way I heard it, the minutemen showed up and you came crying back home without a fight. If I’d been there, there’d be nothing left of them to bury. And that goes for the traitors, too.” He spat on the ground, a glob of spit landing on her boot.

She yanked him in by his necklace of bones. “You’re lucky I don’t make you lick that up.”

Several Pack members paused their conversation to watch. Good. Let them see what happens when they question her.

“Tough talk for a runt. If I were you, I’d stop with the empty threats, and start telling me how you’re planning to fix this.”

How long would it take those smelly fur pants to catch fire? Probably fast enough to burn his tiny dick off. “Relax.” It came out on a dry whisper, muffled through the cloth. “You’ll have your settlement. We just need to wipe the minutemen out first.”

“What makes you think you can do it?”

She let go, already walking out on him. “I came for back up. Why? You don’t think the Pack can handle it?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You’re poking the yao guai,” Gage said, shaking his head as they headed back toward the center of town.

“I didn’t ask for your thoughts.” Immediately, a traitorous part of her brain wanted her to apologize. It wasn’t Gage’s fault that things were slipping out of her grasp. She folded that part up and tucked it away. Vulnerability came at too high a price right now, even in the privacy of her own mind.

“Thought you were leaving the strategy to me,” he mumbled, just loud enough she could hear.

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve got this. When he sees what I can do, Mason’s gonna come crawling back on hands and knees. Begging me for a share of the loot.”

“Hands and knees, huh?” One eyebrow peeked up from behind the patch. “Sounds like you’re used to getting your way.” His tone shifted toward suggestive.

Now was not the time. Now was the worst possible time, in fact. Even if they caught a moment alone, she wouldn’t beg him. Couldn’t. She’d made herself weak in front of everyone. No matter how much she trusted him—still a terrible idea—she couldn’t just submit to him. That’s not how any of this worked. “I’m the boss.”

He hummed thoughtfully. “You wanna know what I think?”

She snapped. “No.”

“Just shut your mouth for a second and listen, alright?”

Echo froze. Was everyone in this park hellbent on getting shot today?

It worked, though. In the moment it took her to fully gather her outrage, he spun her around to face him.

“Mason and his crew have been meaning to break away for a while now. Even before you got here. Now, I get the feeling he’s about to try something real stupid.”

Finding her words, she swallowed down insults to focus on the task at hand. If it meant destroying Mason, she’d listen. “You think he’s going to kill me.”

“I think we’re going to have a mutiny on our hands. If that’s the case, you’re going to need the Operators and the Disciples both on your team.” His patience wore thin and his hand clamped harder on her shoulder. “So quit pissing him off and try to make some friends around here.”  
It never ended. Even with a park full of raiders under her control, she had to tiptoe around everyone’s expectations. She shoved hard against his chest, but he barely seemed to notice. “Don’t tell me what to do!”

Gage shrugged, though tension coursed through his body. His jaw flexed. “Just remember who gave you your power in the first place.”

She shoved him again and screeched in frustration. “I know what I’m doing. Just leave me alone.” It was all too much.

He backed off, hands raised to placate her. “If you get us all killed, I’m never speaking to you again.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With little else to do, Echo set about finding a hideout. It took a few hours, but she finally settled on one of the hollow planets in the Galactic Zone. Idly following the abandoned rollercoaster track up to the giant hanging planet, she opened a maintenance hatch and climbed inside.

About the same size as her balcony suite, the globe reflected plasticky yellow light across her skin. In the center she spread out, lying on her stomach and taking a breath. Up here, so far out of the path, no one could find her. No one expected anything of her. For the first time in months, she had time to think.

Nuka World was better than anything she’d ever hoped for. When she’d stumbled into the Commonwealth six years ago, alone and wounded, she joined up with the first group that promised protection. A raider gang was a brutal, sharp family, but it looked after her much better than her own had. The gang followed her orders, and she led them into a deathtrap.

Now she had a second chance. More power than she’d dreamed of, three gangs under her control. The Commonwealth bowed to her will. As long as she didn’t screw it all up, everything worked in her favor.

She drummed her fingers on the floor. Her bandana slid down under her nose. She didn’t bother fixing it, but even all alone, she wouldn’t take it off completely.

What to do about Mason? Echo shut her eyes. Stupid, impulsive, the Pack made a bad impression on her from the start. They were allies, though. She needed as many people under her control as she could get.

If they turned against her, she had to be sure the other leaders were on her side. Nisha and her bloodthirsty band craved the thrill of the fight. They could help her settle a personal score, and win a nice little outpost of their own in the center of Boston. Blood was easy to come by.

Mags and William wanted caps. Easy. She’d broken into all the best Upper Stands homes in Diamond City. Take out a couple key players, and they could live like royalty.

If nothing else, she had a backup plan. Mason might still listen to reason. He could have his pick of any of the new settlements ripe for the stealing.

She ticked off the mental list. Try to shut Mason up. Promise the others what they want in case things fell through. That only left one thing. The Gage problem.

Except it really wasn’t a problem, was it? She’d lived her life up to this point without him. Without anyone else. The second he started thinking she needed him, he had too much power. Gage was nothing but a right-hand man, a second-in-command, a—what was the word they used in those old radio dramas?—a henchman. Sure, he helped her take down Colter. And yeah, he followed her around the parks, maybe saving her life on a few occasions.

It didn’t explain the swooping feeling in her chest whenever he leaned on her shoulder, or her involuntary smile when he said “That sure was fun, huh boss?” after something not at all fun. That feeling belonged far out of sight, hidden away so deep even she couldn’t find it. If she didn’t give it a name, it didn’t exist.

Asking for her to play nice, to beg him for it? That was something else. Ballsy. Echo didn’t take orders, she gave them. If she agreed to this, he had to know she had all the control.

If she agreed? Her forehead thudded against the floor. No. She wouldn’t consider his terms. She surrendered for no one. If he wanted her bad enough, he could beg. The fact that he’d held off so long told her otherwise. It came as no surprise he might reject her. What surprised her was that she minded.

Ok. Enough thinking. She’d start with the Disciples, offer them that choice little gallery for their new outpost. Nisha wanted blood? The place was drenched in it. Hauling herself up off the floor, she fixed her bandana and made her way back down the tracks. One thing at a time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping into the Disciples’ headquarters felt like falling from a high place. Her stomach rushed up into her throat, pulse racing, eyes frantically trying to focus on anything but the blur of red. The hot iron scent of fresh blood snuck up even through her mask. For the briefest second, she wanted to reach for Gage’s hand. Weak. Pathetic. It was only blood, only the usual carnage that came with raider territory. Steeling herself, she strode up the walkway to the upper level.

“Nisha.”

“Overboss. Back already?” The raider bosses faced each other. Nisha’s helmet obscured everything but her mouth and nose, while Echo’s did the opposite.

“I have a job for you, if you’re interested. Field work.”

“Considering what you’ve done with the rest of the park, I suppose I can trust your judgement. For now. What did you have in mind?”

“A new outpost for the Disciples. There’s a couple of targets to clear out.” At least two. Enough to ambush them, if they weren’t focused. “It’s all yours if you want it.”

She put a hand on her hip. Echo could tell she glared. “What’s in it for you?”

Gage caught up, lingering just behind her. Even from feet away, she sensed the tension in his body.

“Death is too good for those bastards. I want your skills.” Sure, they’d wiped out her first crew, but those morons didn’t have nearly the ruthlessness, the talent for the slaughter, of Nisha’s crew. She could destroy the gallery a thousand times over.

Nisha’s smile matched the blade in her hand. “Hmm, I think we can arrange something.”

“The spoils are yours. All I want is proof you’ve wiped them out.”

“Not bad. I had my doubts you’d follow in Colter’s footsteps, but so far, you’ve proved me wrong.” She looked over Echo’s shoulder. “Gage's gotta be relieved you pulled through for him. Means he gets to keep his head after all.”

Her fists clenched. One hand went to the gun at her hip. Fuck diplomacy. What gave her the right to talk like that? If the bitch laid a hand on Gage...

“Boss, better head out.” He nodded at the Disciple leader.

Echo didn’t move. It happened. People threatened the both of them on the daily. So why did one little comment have her reaching for her weapon? Nisha wanted violence? She’d get more than she could handle.

“Boss.” A little firmer this time, his voice shook her out of it. She dropped her hands to her sides.

Right, right. She couldn’t be Overboss if she ripped her subjects to pieces.

Mouth quirked in an amused smirk, Nisha watched them leave. “Consider the job done.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
As soon as she and Gage stood on neutral ground once more, she dragged him into the nearest alley.

“I had it handled!”

“If you wanna threaten the boss in her own territory, that’s your business. At least wait til I’m out of the line of fire.”

Her eyes went hard. “It’s my territory. All of it. You heard what she said.”

“I didn’t hear anything worth starting a war over.” He looked at her like she was the irrational one.

“She wanted to kill you.”

“A lot of people want to kill me. Hell, you’ve thought about it.” Despite his casual tone, he lowered his voice to a whisper. A few scavvers passed by the alley, but hurried on their way when they spied Echo’s expression.

“That’s different. I just...” How could she explain it, the sort of fury that motivated her? When she’d traveled with Dog, it had been the same. She felt...protective. Like she needed to carve out a safe pocket in this harsh world, somewhere soft and secret where he’d be ok.

Which was stupid. Gage wasn’t soft. He didn’t need protecting, even from Nisha. If he ever acted like he needed that sort of special treatment, she’d dump his ass off somewhere.

Frustration and so many unsaid words forced their way up her throat. “What did you do to me?”

The question caught him off guard. “How do you mean? Haven’t done nothing to you.” He crouched down to stand at her level. Each against opposite walls, their faces nearly met in the middle.

“I want to...Forget it.” Get a grip. Out here, all this mushy stuff just got a person killed.

“Want to what?”

Trying to keep her voice hushed only worsened its scratchiness. “Can we talk?”

“We’re talking right now.” Moving a step closer, Gage leaned one muscular arm against the wall beside her head.

His body heat went to her head. She leaned harder on the wall for support. “I’m serious.”

“Sure, boss. What’s the matter?”

“I said I wanted us to be together.” Did he need her to draw a diagram? Was there so much room for confusion?

“Told you I wouldn’t leave your side. I’m still here.” The corners of his mouth lifted, like he was fighting down a smile. Oh, he thought he was winning. That was almost enough to shut her up.

“You’re not stupid. Do you not want that?” *Do you not want me?*

His hand went to the back of his neck. “I mean, do you? No kidding around here, is this really what you want?”

She’d never seen him nervous before. The lightest pink blush spread across his face and disappeared beneath the patch. Cute.

Nearly a foot taller, with probably a good 10 years or more on her, he shouldn’t be able to look so lost, so fragile.

Is this really what she wanted? The feelings she worked so hard to repress fought for air. It didn’t matter why. Just framing the question as ‘what do I want?’ immediately fixed it. Thinking, self-reflection...those had never been her strengths. But knowing what she wanted and taking it?

“I want an answer.” She stood a little straighter. “If you want this, why are you holding off? I don’t like games.”

He visibly relaxed. “That it? That’s an easy one. I’ve got all the time in the world. How d’you think I got you here? Patience. Waiting til the moment is right. I’m not aiming to be the Overboss’s plaything, you know? I’m waiting on you to meet me half way. And I can keep waiting, long as it takes. Doesn’t mean I want you less.”

Her heart thumped. Ok. He wanted her. Everything else was just a matter of how, when, and where. “And how do I...meet you half way?” Through the fabric, the nerves, and the whispering, her voice barely escaped.

“First you gotta tell me what you’re looking for. Then we’ll go from there.”

Not just her plaything? Better save the dirtier wishes for later, then. Which meant she only had the soft ones, the pathetic ones, to give him. She took a breath, tried to speak. Nothing came out. She tried again. “Together. Like we are now, but more.” Fuck, she couldn’t say it. But holding it back seemed like weakness. And she refused to be weak anymore. “I want to hold your damn hand, ok?”

He fought valiantly to keep from laughing. “I think that can be arranged.”

Her face heated. If she burned Nuka World to the ground, no one would survive to remember her shame. It seemed like the best option.

Gage leaned in once more, a little unsure.  
“But... I ain't never done anything like this. Ain't sure it'd work, you know?”

“I know. I haven’t either. But I want to.”

His smile wiped clean all her worries. “We both know you always get what you want.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Apparently she didn’t. She never asked for Mason turning on her, and yet a week later she stood outside the power plant with Nisha, Gage, William, and Mags surrounding her. Their crews backed them up, filling the courtyard. The Disciples wielded wicked blades, bloodlust glinting in their eyes. They pushed impatiently ahead of the Operators, who took careful stock of their ammunition. Efficiency and brutality. A perfect match.

Both back from their special missions, the crews supported her without question when she declared war on the Pack.

“What’s the plan, Overboss?”

“Leave no survivors. I don’t want a single Pack member alive. But leave Mason to me.” Her 10mm hummed in her hand, metal warming to her touch. “I want to put a bullet between his eyes myself.”

They mounted the stairs, up and up to Mason’s hideout. On either side, Disciples and Operators worked together to crush the rebellion. Funny how killing made them put aside their differences. It was beautiful to watch, but Echo had to press on. In the clash, she lost sight of Gage. He’d probably tell her not to go one on one with Mason—something about ‘he’s five times bigger than her, meaner too’—but who was going to stop her now?

She found him holed up in a control booth, hiding like a cornered animal. He snarled when he saw her, rifle leveled. Firing off a single shot, she turned on her heel and ran, counting on him giving chase. Behind her she dropped a couple mines, doubling her speed to get out of dodge before he caught up. Footsteps from his heavy boots clanged down the metal walkway. Not long now.

A shout, and a deafening boom. Not letting her guard down, she stalked toward him with her gun drawn, finger flirting with the trigger.

Up ahead, Mason crouched, clinging to his calf. Or what remained of it. Flecks of flesh decorated the walkway, whose sides had collapsed. Mason’s rifle must have fallen into the gap.

She leapt over it and landed beside him. Tipping his chin up in one palm, she grinned wide beneath her bandana. “Game over. You thought you stood a chance against me?”

Victory tasted like Nuka Cherry, cool and sweet on her tongue.

Until Mason swiped her leg out from under her, throwing his weight to pin her. Her head dangled over the gap. Four floors down, at least, and after that, it all turned to shadows. He dug a knife into her side, pressing up against her ribs.

“Remember who’s the Alpha around here, you pathetic little bitch.” His non-destroyed leg pressed hard into her stomach.

Echo fought for air. Every inhale drove the blade in deeper. She couldn’t squirm, not with the full weight of him pressing her into the sharp metal floor. Panic flooded her brain. Gage was right. Even bloodied, Mason could crush her like a radroach. He pulled his blade free. In the second it took him to bring it to her throat, she slammed her forehead into his. She heard the crack before she felt it, white hot pain behind her eyes. For a moment, the world spun out of focus.

He drew back instinctively. It gave her just enough space to press the muzzle of her gun to his stomach. Rage flashed in his eyes, then dimmed to fear, then pain.

She kept firing until the magazine was empty, the metal so hot in her hand she nearly dropped it. She didn’t stop, even after he’d fallen limp over top her, his blood trailing down her sides.

Wiggling out from under him hurt worse than the knife going in. Her skin pulled, widening the wound as she scooted out sideways. Clutching her side, she pulled herself up. Mason carried an access key for the power plant terminal, some ammo, and a Molotov cocktail. She put the first two in her pocket, then rolled his body over, shoving him off the edge and into the abyss. For good measure, she lit the explosive and tossed it in after him.

She finished this. With the last mutineer out of the way, Echo reigned supreme, the unchallenged Overboss of Nuka-World, most powerful raider in the Commonwealth. No one could ever tell her what to do now. She owned the world. Scrounging for a stimpak, she watched the gash knit itself back together. Disbelief and pure joy bounced around inside her. Her body lit up like a Glowing One, beaming out victory, power.

Oh, yeah. Lighting up reminded her. Only one more thing to do to establish this place as paradise.

She reached the power plant’s roof just as the sound of fighting dulled to nothing. Her guys flattened the Pack. Just put in the access code, hit a couple keys, and...there. All the lights blinked on at once. Nuka-World spread out across the horizon, dazzling. Rides hummed to life, generators kicked on, and the world glowed.

“How’s the view?” Gage came up beside her, resting an arm on her shoulder as he took in the sight. She didn’t even bother to duck out from under him.

“Look at this place!”

“Nuka-World, all lit up... it's goddamn beautiful,” he said. When she turned to look at him, his visible eye had misted up.

“Didn’t think you were the crying type.” She threw her arm around his back, pulling in close. It felt right to be near him, to feel the warmth spread along all their points of contact. Both of them sweaty, a little roughed up, and grinning like fools, they stood there taking it all in.

“So, did you make the right choice?”

“You mean making you Overboss? Yeah. Yeah, I think I did.”

“Good. ‘Cause you’re not getting rid of me. I plan on sticking around for a long time.” With her arm around him, she noticed for the first time his slender waist and narrow hips. Compared to her, he seemed like a giant, but when she imagined him standing next to Mason, or even Colter, she realized he was only tall. His broad shoulders tapered into a V; she’d still be visible if she stood behind him, her own hips sticking out beyond his. Not that it mattered. She just didn’t expect him to look so...delicate up close. If she ever said that out loud, he’d probably push her off the roof.

“With all you’ve done, for all of us, I don’t think anyone’s gonna try.”

Out along the horizon, thousands of tiny lights illuminated the parks. It beamed with pre-war splendor, the warm twilight turning the scene soft purple. For a while, they stood together in silence.

“Wanna head back and give everyone a pat on the back?”

“When that’s done, come with me. I’ve got an idea.”

“Boss, you know I’d follow you anywhere.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Echo jogged ahead, her path lit by rows of flashing white lights. This must have been what it was like, before the bombs dropped and turned the world into a rad-filled scrapheap. She pictured couples, clean women in colorful dresses, men with hats, like on the theme park’s posters. They’d go wandering around, laughing, talking. None of them would have to think about where to scrounge for food. They wouldn’t sleep on stained mattresses in crumbling buildings, or stab their neighbors before their neighbors stabbed them. It sounded boring, too polite, controlled, like minutemen stuff.

Crossing into Kiddie Kingdom—Operator territory—she spied her target, the big red button just waiting to be pushed.

The Ferris wheel, cherry red and dangling with string lights, loomed above. Would those carts even hold? Had the metal rusted through a hundred years ago? Only one way to find out.

“Come on. I wanna see the view from the top.” She pressed the button, and the wheel creaked to life. Yes!

It spun slowly, complaining with every turn. Swinging carts lazily dipped down, then rose again.

Standing at the bottom, she waved Gage over. He was just standing there, looking at her.

“Come on!” He’s going to say it’s not safe. It’s a stupid way to die. It’s too silly for an Overboss.

But he just stared at her. “You’re a real stunner, you know that?”

She choked. Maybe he meant the Ferris wheel? The park, all up and running? But he was looking straight at her, a dopey grin stretched across his face.

At her! A scrappy little wastelander, head half-shaved, proportions strange from malnutrition and rads. Body all hard edges, scars and muscles from a life of fighting, and that was even before he’d seen beneath the bandana. Echo was tough. Strong. She wasn’t a stunner.

“Do you want to, uhhh...” Words. Idiot. “The wheel?”

He shook himself out of it and crossed the distance, hopping up into the lowest hanging cart. She almost missed it, still stuck in some kind of daze. At the last second, she jumped in, wobbling on the cart’s edge.

“Easy there.”

The cart started its rise, lurching little by little around the circle. First all of Kiddie Kingdom came into view, the castle turrets proud with their waving flags. She held the connecting beam tight so she could lean out over the edge. Every thirty seconds or so, the cart stopped, swaying gently as the upper one paused at the peak.

Finally, they reached the top. “Look at this!” The cart rocked when he stepped to the edge.

“Hey.” His hand nudged hers.

“Hey.” Her voice cracked.

Now fully night, the warm navy sky shone with twice as many twinkling lights as the park. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed.

His calloused fingers rubbed a warm circle into the back of her hand, almost completely covering it. She felt it all the way through her chest.

Who would have thought, after everything, she’d be here? Watching over her sparkling kingdom, holding Gage’s hand, so damn happy it scared her.

Sticky sweetness bubbled inside her, warm and gooey like nuka cola left out in the sun. She’d never felt anything so sweet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
It was midnight when they returned to Fizztop Grille, grinning and bumping into each other all the way back. Most everyone else had gone to sleep, leaving the streets empty for them to wander. Anticipation rolled off her in waves. How would this go? Could she bring herself to say it? To ask for what she wanted?

Questions melted away when they reached the top and he shoved her hard against the nearest wall, his mouth at her neck. The odd scars along her throat didn’t deter him from trying his best to suck a mark into her skin.

She melted, arching into him, needed him as close as possible.

“Want you,” he breathed, nipping at her jaw under the edge of her bandana.

Fuck, she could tell. He was already hard, rocking his hips against her.

“Gage, come on...”

“Do us both a favor and quit holding out. You want this?” That honey-whiskey voice in her ear had her nearly dripping.

“Yes! Just...do something!”

She opened her eyes. His was shut tight, sweat beading on his brow. Weeks of waiting, and this would be over in a few seconds.

“Not...” he choked back a sound, “not until you beg. It’s about time you learned some manners.”

Atom have mercy, but it was tempting. She wriggled her hips.

He groaned. “Not fair, boss.”

None of it was fair. She made the rules around here. She didn’t beg. People begged her. But maybe, just this once...

“Come on, I...” She whined. He had far too much power over her already.

“Wanna hear you say it.”

“Gage!”

Through the warm haze, she barely heard the alarms ring out.

“Son of a bitch!” He pulled back, breathing hard.

Head reeling, she blinked. “What is it?”

“Somebody’s coming through the Gauntlet. Want me to put him down now?”

Her knees buckled, no longer held up by his weight against her. “No. I got it.” Stupid raiders, stupid Gauntlet. “I’ll kill him myself.”

Hyper-focused, body thrumming with pent up energy, it’d be quick and bloody. The others could watch, more proof their Overboss wasn’t just going to sit back and let someone else do the work.

“It’s always fuckin’ something, isn’t it?” he said under his breath. Gage examined the power armor in the corner. “Should still serve you well.”

Or she’d get electrocuted when it malfunctioned. “I’m not wearing that. It’s gonna be quick. I got this.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s smart. The guy’s coming through that death trap. He’s gotta he strong.”

“I can handle it.”

He shifted, fixing her with a weird look. “Don’t try and prove you’re tough. We all know it. Just wear the armor.”

She frowned. “No.”

“At least let me touch up that pistol. One of these days the duct tape is gonna give out.”

Her stomach dropped. Oh, so that’s what this was about. Get some mods on her equipment, sneak some little flaws into the design, maybe a detonator. Nuka-World had never looked better, parks all handed out, power on, factions getting along. All he had to do now is get rid of the Overboss, and he’d rule it all.

He really did think of everything. Get her to let her guard down, distract her from his plan...and the worst part? It worked. Against all her instincts, she had trusted him, had wanted to believe all the compliments.

Of course he didn’t mean it. Of course she couldn’t trust anyone. Why would he keep her around, now that all the dirty work was taken care of? Being soft didn’t pay off. It never had and it never would. She clawed her way up to the top without anyone, and that’s how she’d stay there. Alone. On nothing but her own strength.

But what to do about Gage?

He looked at her, waiting for an answer. His punishment could wait until after the fight.

“I’ll do it myself. I need to make sure everyone remembers who’s in charge around here.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At least she recognized this feeling. The familiar sting of betrayal crushed her chest, reaching cold fingers into her stomach where it mixed with the simmering fury. More than anything, she hated herself.

Even at night, raiders packed the arena, Operators draped over couches, Disciples lurking in the wings. As the lights went up, she pushed into the center. Gage’s hand caught her upper arm.

“Let go of me!”

He looked rattled, face screwed up like she’d smacked him. “Just don’t be stupid out there, alright?”

“Did you give Colter this same pep talk before you stabbed him in the back?”

“The hell is this about? I’m trying to keep you from getting killed out there, and you’re making my job real difficult.”

She rolled her eyes. Later, she could snap a bomb collar around his neck and gift him to Nisha. Now she had work to do.

RedEye introduced the fight as a door swung open on the other side of the arena. A power armored figure came out, spotted her, and ducked behind one of the bumper cars. Echo pulled her gun from her hip holster and strode in, door clanging shut behind her.

“Come on out. I’ll make it nice and quick.” What was even the point of hiding? They’d fought through this far. A grenade sailed over her head. She threw her body to the side, crashing into the giant bottle statue. “Haha! Are you even trying?” Forget all the feelings, the backstabbing, all of it. This was the good shit.

Back in her element, she spun around the statue, firing off a few rounds into the armor’s knee joint. A panel fell off, exposing the wearer’s leg.

In just her pants, boots, bandana, and a leather harness she was still safer than that big clunky idiot. Not to mention faster. She shot off the upper leg panels, leaving the fighter’s right leg with only jeans to protect it.

Another spin, and the metal right arm fell away. The cheers of her gangs fueled her on. They wanted a show? She’d give them the best damn show they’d ever seen.

Where did they go? Not hiding behind a car, not clinging close to the walls. Her back collided with something solid. Ha! There. Darting her hand out, she snatched at the power armor’s fusion core and ripped it free.

The suit powered down with a clunk. Winning by a malfunction once again. The victim had two choices, either stay in the heavy, non-moving suit for protection, or get out and fight without any armor.

He chose the latter. A squarish man, well-muscled but wasteland ragged, stepped out and pulled a laser on her. She grabbed the barrel and slammed him in the face with it, to the applause of her audience.

Tiny punctures covered both his arms. His eyes were red and hazy. A Psycho user, then, hopped up on angry juice and feeling no pain.

Gage told her Chems made people sloppy. Weak. It’d been enough to make her kick the habit. Thinking about Gage right now was worse than Psycho; she burned with the unfairness of it all, the hurt, the anger.

She channeled it into her pistol, firing off three shots in succession; one in the head, one in the chest, one in the stomach. He crumbled to the ground, the roaring of the crowd covering his cry of defeat.

Above the noise, she barely heard Gage. “Boss!”

Sure, now he’d go back to playing loyal, now that she proved herself too capable for his little games. If he thought he’d get away with it, he—

A wave of fire rose around her, and in less than a second, the world went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Every inch of her body ached. Her eyes snapped open. In an unfamiliar room, she lay on a sleeping bag, head propped up on a couple pillows.

Echo scrambled for a weapon. Her muscles protested any kind of movement.

“Hold on. Don’t try to move yet. Let the Med-X kick in at least.”

She traced the voice to Mackenzie, Nuka-World’s resident doctor. “What am I doing here?”

“Frankly boss, you’re lucky to be alive. As best as I can tell, the guy you were up against dropped a grenade as he went down. There’s no shrapnel, but you got blasted back pretty hard. I gave you a couple stimpaks for the burns, and the Med-X is for the concussion.”

“Where’s my...” she fumbled for the word.

The doctor handed her the bandana. “I had to take it off to make sure you hadn’t broken your nose.”

Dizzy, hands shaking, Echo fixed her with her best glare as she retied it. “I’m fine.”

“I take it that’s not a new injury.”

“Who else saw?” Venom snaked into her voice. How many witnesses would she have to take out?

“Just me. It was still on when Gage brought you up here.”

Her stomach flipped. He’d be disappointed to see her alive.

“I’m sure you know it’s far too late for stimpaks on that one, but you’re going to want to keep it clean anyway. Less nukas, more clean water. Or even soap, if you can get it.”

The dose of Med-X left her overtired, her limbs weighed down, mind slow. At least she didn’t ache so much anymore.

“Should I send him in?”

“What? Who?” She tried to blink away the impending sleep.

“Gage. He was worried about you.” Nerves flashed across her face. “But please don’t tell him I said so.”

Oh, he’d be worried alright. “Let him in.”

She pushed herself to sit up. He couldn’t see her lying there all pathetic. All the others had seen her go down. Undone by a rookie mistake, taken down like a stupid fucking child. As soon as she could stand without puking, she’d take out a couple settlements just to prove to them she still can.

Mackenzie ducked into the hall for a second. From the brief glimpse out the door, Echo saw they were in the upper floor of the arena. Had Gage carried her? Maybe she should have died in the arena, rather than survive that shame.

“Are you gonna tell me what the hell that was?”

From this angle he looked extra tall, glaring down at her on her sleeping bag.

“Surprised to see me?” Tilting her head back to look at him made white spots flicker behind her eyes.

“Are you trying to throw all of this away? Are you gonna start acting like the Overboss, or—“

“—Or what? You’ll try to kill me again? ‘Cause I’ve got news for you. It doesn’t work. I’m still here. But you? You’re not going to be so lucky.” With every word, his frown deepened. He thought he’d get out of this with no consequences? Oh no, she would make this hurt. Anger burned away all the other fragile feelings. Anger was productive, familiar. Safe for her and bad news for everything around her.

“You musta hit your head harder than I thought. Who do you think got you to the top? Who tried to get you to wear some armor instead of running in there with a death wish? Then you don’t listen to me when I’m telling you shit’s about to break bad, and I’m the one carrying you up here and getting help. So how you got it into your thick head that I’m trying to kill you, I can’t figure.”

She clenched her jaw so hard it hurt. “Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid.”

“Then don’t be stupid.”

“You wanted me in Colter’s armor! You wanted to mod my gun! I’ve seen you do it before. Now that you got what you want you can just throw me away, find a new Overboss. Help some Commonwealth nobody target my weak points.”

He sighed, a full body exhale that silently said he was trying his best not to do something he’d regret. He pulled up a beat-up stool and sat beside her.

“Look. There’ve been a lot of opportunities to off you, if that’s what I wanted to do. Now, you’re the best damn thing that’s happened to this place. Wouldn’t do any good to get rid of you. ‘Sides that, I don’t want to.”

“But the armor!” It might have sounded a little childish but she was beyond caring.

“It’s the best set of power armor you’ve got. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

She shivered in the lingering silence, words ringing between them.

Mackenzie cleared her throat. “I’m going to give you a second dose, but you should stay here to sleep it off. We’ll see how everything looks in the morning.”

Echo focused on Gage while the doctor injected her. “Nisha wants my head on a pike, doesn’t she? Everyone saw.”

“You still took him down. That counts for something. Mags and William run on ‘technicalities’. You’re the one who came out alive, so you’re the Overboss. Nisha’s not happy.”

“Of course.”

“So you gotta play nice with her. Get on her good side, if she’s got one.” He nearly reached out for her hand, but stopped as Mackenzie turned to face them. “Fact is, you went out there and gave ‘em a good show. As long as you don’t die out there, you’re still the boss.”

“I thought you were trying to betray me,” she said, voice brittle. “I didn’t want to kill you.”

“Lucky for you, I don’t wanna kill you either.” He remained there beside her.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” the doctor said, turning to Gage, “Let her rest.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The Med-X clouded her brain, pushing her deeper toward sleep. “Are things...ok between us?” The whiplash of emotions had yet to settle. One moment she wanted him, then the next she wanted him dead. And now...?

He tented his fingers. “I get why you got angry. Trusting people’s a risk you’re better off not taking.”

Her eyes fought to close.

“Lay down, would you?”

She did, and immediately sleep made a grab for her. She pushed past it. “I wanted to.” Slurred and hushed, the words came out so quietly he had to lean in close to hear them. “Want to trust you.”

“I ain't gonna go all sappy on you, but...” he stopped, rubbing his hand across his face as if it could wipe away the blush. “Damn, boss. You are something else. I don't know how to explain it. Like, I found a piece of me I didn't know I was missing.”

This was...better than hand-holding. And she’d just decided that was her very favorite. Maybe the Med-X finally went to her head, or maybe the concussion scrambled her brain. She floated on a warm haze. “Are you saying you love me?”

“I might be, uhh, saying that.”

She closed her eyes, letting sleep have the final say. “I might be saying that too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The next morning, after a quick exam from Mackenzie, Echo headed out.

“Are you sure you oughtta—“

“Who’s the boss around here?” Her eyes crinkled into a smile as she said it.

They stuck to the shade, the sunlight too bright for her oversensitive head. Just a little trip into the market, to prove to all the wandering raiders that their boss still stood.

“I’m not ordering you to come with me.”

“Someone’s gotta keep you out of trouble.” He kept a distance behind her.

She cringed. Was this about yesterday? With all the meds in her system, reality and dreams had blurred. How much had she said aloud? Was he avoiding her? To be fair, the sappy bastard had started it.

A couple scavvers raised eyebrows at her. One Operator gave her the once over. “Back on your feet pretty quick, boss.”

That perked her up. “Can’t kill me so easily.”

The market was nearly empty so early in the morning. One of the benefits of the raider lifestyle—no need to wake up at dawn to work in a field. She could’ve slept in past noon if she thought the place wouldn’t collapse in her absence. “Just need a couple things.”

As much as she hated to admit it, Mackenzie was right. She had to make an effort to keep her whole banana situation clean. Fuck, if the nukas rotted her teeth out, she’d starve to death. It was already enough of a challenge, tipping her head to one side when eating, finding a private space to sneak away to drink something. If she could do something to prevent it getting worse, she’d do it, no matter how un-raider-like.

Slapping the caps down she took the toothbrush and toothpaste without a word. The look in her eyes kept the quaking Trader from making any comments.

She tried to be discrete, slipping her purchase into the pouch at her hip, but apparently she wasn’t so stealthy.

Gage snorted. “What’s all that about? Are you competing for Wasteland’s Best Smile?”

Echo froze. He didn’t...he couldn’t... Like a switch flipping, she snapped into murder mode, rounding on him. Who cared if the entire market saw? “Don’t ever joke about that.”

He stepped back. “Aw, shit. I didn’t mean anything by it.” He studied her bandana, not meeting her eyes.

She always burned, in one way or another, rage or shame or want, sometimes all at the same time. Why did it matter? So many of her crew had scars, reminders of battles gone wrong. In her line of work, they served as marks of pride. The thought of him seeing her, fully exposed like that, had her digging her nails into her palm to control her urge to scream. Not that she could, anyway. She’d lost that ability, too, along with everything else. On a good day she could manage a regular speaking voice. Everything else just fizzled out. And now here he was, making a fool out of her. In front of everyone. She hated that it hurt.

Gage was a lucky man. Anyone else wouldn’t have survived. She wanted to rip him to shreds. Her whole body clenched up, fight or flight.

He didn’t know. He didn’t mean it.  
She took a step closer, could see it in the hard line of his mouth that he feared her. He should. He wanted to play? She could play.

“I had to,” she said, cold, “you already won Best Eyes.”

His eye widened, then narrowed. Then he cracked, laughing aloud in the center of the market. Confident and warm, it forced some of her anger to fade.

“Stop. It’s not...” but she couldn’t resist either. She started up laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. “It’s not funny!” The others gave them strange looks, but it felt so good.

“If you say so, boss. Come on.”

He led the way this time, bringing her to an old bench, out of the main drag. “Sit down.”

“What?”

“I just wanna talk.”

She sat, crossing her arms defensively. “I know you want to ask. So ask.”

“Nasty scar?”

“Not...not exactly.” On second thought, maybe she couldn’t do this.

“Bad tattoo?”

That startled another laugh out of her. The small smile he gave her in return gave her strength.

“Don’t make this a sob story, alright? It’s not. You ever heard of the Children Of Atom?” *Don’t puke. Don’t choke. Don’t cry.*

“Yeah, I heard of ‘em. As stupid as those Hubologists, but twice as dangerous. What’d they do to you?” The note of protectiveness in his tone sent a spike of something through her.

“It’s not...that. Ok.” She blew out a breath. “I grew up as one of them. Everyone had high hopes—not a lot of kids get born in that place. The rads, you know? They wanted me to be some kind of gift from Atom, but I couldn’t...I’m not chosen.”

He nodded. “Like any normal person, rads make you gag and lose your hair.”

“Yeah. And there’s this rite. When you turn sixteen you have to go to a holy site and drink from a spring. It’s supposed to give you messages from Atom. That’s how they know you’re chosen.”

He was trying to listen without saying anything, she could tell from the stubborn set of his shoulders. “Chosen, huh? Sounds like a lot of religious hooey to me.”

“It is.” Thick-voiced, she pressed on. “But they kick you out if you can’t pass.”

His hand bumped her thigh, reassuring.

“So I went for it. I took the offering in my hands and drank.” She held up her palms to show the odd discoloration, like a burn victim.

With one finger, he traced over the spots. “That’s nothing.”

“My hands were tough. My face, not so much. You saw my neck.” *Saw, and kissed, and bit...* “Like that but worse. It’s not pretty.”

“I’ve seen a lot in this life. You can’t scare me off.”

She tapped her fingers against the back of his hand. “Your turn.”

“For...?”

She lightly brushed the scrap metal eyepatch. “Since we’re swapping scar stories.”

He leaned into the touch. “Only fair, I suppose. It ain’t too exciting. I was running with a gang, we got into a firefight. Got caught in the crossfire, caught some shrapnel, now the one eye’s no good. Pretty standard stuff.”

“Hmm,” she said. She didn’t know what else to say. Was it wrong to ask to see, when she wouldn’t show him? At least, not now.

He seemed to read her mind. “Will I ever get to see the mysterious Overboss behind the mask?”

Shrugging off the seriousness, she said, “Maybe, it you ever get to see me naked.”

His tongue darted out to wet his lips, the only sign she affected him. His gaze wandered over her face, down her chest, all the way to her boots. No subtlety, no masking his intentions. *Like a raider.* “You mean you’re dressed now?”

He had a point. Her leather harness left little to the imagination, just a thin stripe covering her breasts, a couple clasps tracing down the lean planes of her abdomen. She wore her torn pants functionally tight, tucked into tall boots and adorned with a a number of holsters. “Very funny. We can’t all wear a junkyard around our necks.”

“Might live longer if you did.”

She put a hand around one of the bars of his cage armor and tugged. “If you take this off, you’re probably smaller than me.”

He fixed her with a look, a slow, crooked smile crossing his face. “Oh, I wouldn’t count on that, boss.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Taking a page from Gage’s book, she planned out the night exactly, cutting down any possibilities for interruptions. She had waited nearly a week since her injury, had taken her Med-X as prescribed. RedEye turned off the broadcast signal on her orders, so no one would brave the Gauntlet. The Disciples were out on a job of their own, the Operators holed up in the Parlor. Finally, nothing could get in the way of her night.

Gage sat on a couch by the window, gazing out over Nuka-World. When she walked out, his back was to her. He didn’t see as she made her way over, completely bare, to stand behind him.

Her heart drummed in her throat. People had seen her face before—new recruits who needed a reason to fear her, a friend she’d slept with—but not like this. It mattered more, with Gage. She still wanted him to think she was a stunner after he’d seen. Or, at least not puke. Small steps.

A breeze picked up, washing through the broken windows. A chill ran across her skin, breaking up the heat of humidity and nerves.

Echo went for it. She trailed her hand up the back of his neck, the barely-there stubble, carding her fingers through his short mohawk. It was softer than she expected. He leaned into her touch, sighing. “What’s gotten...”

He turned around to face her, and the words died on his tongue.

What’s gotten into you? That’s what he was about to ask, wasn’t it? She had a few suggestions.

Her confidence went out like a match. Why was he just staring at her like that? He looked her up and down, lingering on her face. *Say something! Anything!* She balanced on a knife’s edge. He’d reject her, make an excuse. Now that he’d seen, he could never look at her the same. It served her right, for thinking that she could have this, have someone who wanted all of her.

Several emotions flicked across his face at once. He settled on a slow nod, lips pursed. “Looking...uhh, looking good, boss.” His hand gripped the arm of the couch, white-knuckled.

“Yeah?” She could barely breathe.

His voice dipped lower, rougher. “Yeah. Been thinking about having you like this.” Body pulled into a line of tension, he looked ready to snap.

She smiled. This time, he could see it. “Then have me.”

His lips parted on a gasp. Hands clutched the couch harder. “Something you want?”

Of course he still had the willpower to wait. Even when it was obviously hurting him to hold back.

Lucky for him, she was tired of not getting what she wanted. She moved to stand in front of him, completely naked, so close her toes pressed against the tip of his boots. “Mmhm.”

“You gonna ask nicely?”

She leaned in, her hands on his shoulders, mouth hot against the shell of his ear. In her softest whisper, she said, “Gage, I need you. I’m yours. Take me, please?”

It was worth it, for his quiet groan and the stuttered thrust of his hips. Any dignity lost couldn’t compare to his hands on her waist, guiding her back toward the bed.  
“You’re gonna be the death of me.” He pushed her back on the bed, kicking off his boots and pulling the cage armor over his head.

She bounced as she hit the mattress. Her ruined lips couldn’t stop grinning. This was it, all she’d waited for for so long. Satisfaction, surrender, his body pressing hers into the bed as he made good on all his promises. He knelt beside the bed and...and what was he doing?

She parted her legs in anticipation, watching his chest rise with the little hitch of breath. “You’ve got me where you want me. What are you going to do about it?”

He looked like a man starved. Broad hands clasped her wide, muscled thighs. She’d caught him staring at them a number of times. Let him look. Let him touch. As long as he did something.

The summer air stuck to her skin. His thumbs rubbed circles against her inner thigh. “What are you—do something!”

“Easy.” He couldn’t look away, his hand so gentle as he traced it higher, brushing through dark curls already damp with want. “You call the shots, but I gotta at least get you ready for me. I wouldn’t wanna break you.”

Her head lolled back. Holy shit. This man. She tried to widen her legs, bring him in closer, but his strong hands kept her in place. “Not trying to hurt you.”

“What if I...” she lost her words as he stroked a lazy circle around her clit. “What if I want it to hurt?”

He chuckled, then repeated the motion. Her leg twitched. “We got plenty of time for that later.”

“Mmm.” She liked the sound of that.

He took his time, the calloused pad of his thumb exploring with slow strokes. Even when she tried to push closer, the friction just wasn’t enough. “Gage...”

“I’m gonna take my time, alright? I’m enjoying the view.”

She pushed herself up into a sitting position, watching as he teased her, fingertip dipping down but not entering her.

“I already...hnnn...I already asked nice. Give it to me.”

He followed her orders, but still he went slowly, easing in a finger. Rougher and thicker than two of her own, it filled her so sweetly. He wouldn’t let her roll her hips, completely controlling the pace, opening her up beneath his touch.

She’d imagined his hands on her a hundred times, but never like this. They were raiders. Ruthless killers for fun and caps. They didn’t do gentle. They didn’t do romance. “Fuck me like you mean it!”

“That’s what I’m trying to do. Not everything has to be about fighting and hurting.”

Her heart did a weird little jump.

“Now, don’t go telling anybody I said so.”

Her smile grew. A secret Gage, only for her.

Only when he felt she was ready did he add a second finger.

And ok, maybe she had no right to complain about him taking his time. They had hardly started and already she felt the stretch. Her fingers dug into the bed.

“You look good like this,” he said, punctuating it with a nip to her inner thigh. He crooked his trigger finger inside her and she shook.

Just this, it felt...she didn’t know the words to describe it. The pretty hazel of his eye stared up at her. One hand held her leg out of the way, while the other worked in a third finger in leisurely pumps. And all the while, he treated her like she might break. Like she deserved something gentle. Something hopeful ignited in her chest, a little flame competing with the hot coil of lust between her legs. It had never felt like this before.

He stoked the fire, pressing kisses everywhere he could reach. Little sounds escaped her mouth, quiet moans building in volume as he worked faster, harder, finding just the right spot to make her clench around him.

“Close,” she managed, reaching for him.

Gage did something with his thumb that had her arching off the bed, body tensing, so close to the edge she could taste it.

He went still.

Tension dissolved. Her high faded before it could begin. She blinked. Where was he going? Maybe now he would actually take her? But he just waited, keeping her in place on his fingers. She tightened uselessly around him. “What—?”

“Not...” he breathed hard, “not til I say so.” Leaning up, he peppered kisses and small bites over her hip bones. Red marks welled up in his wake, her oversensitive skin responding to every touch.

“Don’t play with me,” she whined. After weeks of waiting, what more did he want from her? He wouldn’t even grant her the mercy of letting her move; growing desperate, she’d have stooped to fucking herself on his hand if it got her off. When had she turned so pathetic? “I’m your boss.” She said it for both their benefit. “I order you to finish what you started, or get out so I can.”

Gage actually laughed at her. “You’re cute when you’re ready to fight.”

“I’m always ready to fight.” As soon as she could reach, she was going to bite him. And not in the sexy way.

“Sure are.”

Her insides went melty. “That’s an order, please?”

That did it. He twisted his hand and startled a moan out of her. Punched-out sighs followed close behind as he prepared her, too much and not enough. Faster this time, her climax rose, the want unbearable. She chased it, giving in to the buzz of her skin, the hot, hazy rush of her heartbeat in her ears. “Don’t you dare stop. Don’t you—“

He stopped.

“Gage! I swear I’m going to kill you.” How could he torture her?

“What, you can’t handle it?” His voice was strained. He palmed himself through his pants, somewhere between trying to hold back and trying to relieve the pressure.

Trapped. If she said yes, he would keep up the torment. If she said no, she’d admit defeat. “I know you want me. You look so good when you do what I say.”

He swallowed hard.

A wicked grin crossed her face. “You like it when I tell you how good you are.”

He said nothing, distracting her by teasing her clit.

She bit her tongue. They played these stupid dominance games, holding back, being strong. How could she win? “Show me how good you can be. Follow orders. Make me say your name.”

He stifled his groan against her thigh, mouthing at her skin.

Finally, she could say all those little things she wanted to tell him. It wasn’t weak or soft if it was just to get him worked up. “Look at me. I want you.”

He parted her sex, swiping a finger through her slick folds. His voice shook. “Ok, boss. You got me.”

It took very little to bring her to the edge this time, her body following the familiar path to release. Pressure mounted, her hands flexing. Just a little bit more. Nearly afraid to get her hopes up, she gasped as he kept going, scissoring his fingers, giving her what she wanted.

“I...” she couldn’t hold back if she tried.

“That’s it, sweetheart.”

She fell apart with a ruined cry. He didn’t let up, coaxing her through it as she trembled. Waves of heat swept over her, leaving her a panting mess on the bed.

Had it been so long she’d forgotten what it felt like? She’d never crashed that hard before.

“You’re real fucking loud, you know that?”

“Huh?” She barely heard him, too busy trying to catch her breath. “Maybe you’re just that good.”

He looked away, color high on his cheeks. “Why don’t you get over here and boss me around already?”

That she could do. “Come on. Take that off.”

He reached for the frayed hem of his tank top. She came to stand beside him, stopping his hand.

“The eyepatch. I showed you mine, now you show me yours.”

“You sure about this?” He unfastened the strap.

Echo’s hand covered his as he pulled the scrap metal patch away.

Oh. She had no room to talk about impressive scars, but she hadn’t been expecting all that. The surface of his eye was clouded over, the upper lid pulled down over the corner in a puckered line. Two deep pitted scars dotted the curve of his eye socket.

He stared at her, expression challenging.

“Why do you keep it covered? That’s pretty badass!”

He laughed. “I shoulda guessed it wouldn’t bother you.”

She traced his cheek, fingertips ghosting along the scar.

“I like it. Now can we get back to—“

He scooped her up, one hand bracing her thighs, the other at the nape of her neck. She recovered from her surprise quickly enough to wrap her legs around his waist and pull him closer.

They looked at each other, only inches apart, her lips parted on a gasp, his eyebrows furrowed with focus. In that little gap waited everything she ever wanted. That invisible boundary, put in place for her previous conquests, hung like a pane of glass between them. He wouldn’t do it. She didn’t blame him.

No one wanted to kiss a girl with half a mouth. The radiation hadn’t been kind, leaving the right half of her mouth whole, but destroying the left. The corner faded off into ragged scar tissue, lips thin and rigid like a ghoul’s. Just beyond her canines, a hole had melted through her cheek, tracing the line of her smile. She knew it wasn’t good, but that couldn’t stop her from hoping.

Her hand cupped his cheek, stubble sharp against her palm. The other arm gripped around his shoulders to help hold herself up. Not that he needed any help, carrying her effortlessly. Gage pinned her up against the wall, hoisting her up a little higher.

“What you need, boss?”

“You.”

He shifted her so her weight rested on the wall, freeing up one had to undo the buckles of his pants. He pressed hard and wanting against her, even through his clothes.

Her gaze kept wandering to his lips. He didn’t mind, didn’t shy away from the sight of her. Would it be so wrong to kiss him?

It wasn’t very Overboss-ly of her, holding back thinking when they had this. Wriggling her hips, she urged him on. “Porter Gage if you don’t hurry up...!”

He kissed her. Quieting a moan against her mouth, he closed the final distance. Her fingers fluttered at his cheek.

What did she—? How—? She shut her eyes, following the motion of his lips, cupping his jaw and pulling him in. She gasped as he slowly entered her, bottoming out in one hard stroke.

Not wasting the opportunity, he traced her bottom lip with his tongue, over the plump corner, over the shriveled flesh. She opened to him, whole body giving way, letting him in.

He was right; she’d never admit out loud how much she appreciated him preparing her. Clumsy thrusts had her digging her nails into his shoulders, taking him in as deep as she could.

Still fully dressed, his tank top brushed her nipples into peaks with every motion. She cried out into his mouth. Tongues meeting, she wanted to dissolve into him completely.

He filled her, almost too much to handle. The tight grip on her thighs grounded her.

A little trail of saliva connected their mouths as he pulled back. “How come you’ve never called me that before?”

“I have.”

“I woulda noticed. No one calls me Porter anymore.”

“Can I?” More secrets, more of him that was only hers to keep.

“Only if I can call you yours.”

Had he ever called her by her name? It was hard to remember, especially with the way he snapped his hips up into her, mouthing at her jawline.

“Fuck! Mmm...just like that...” She scraped her fingers through his hair, trying to kiss him anywhere she could reach. It was difficult, when she couldn’t hold back hoarse moans. Her legs quivered.

“What do you...ah!...how do you want me?”

Sure, she’s the Overboss. But how could she be expected to make decisions now? She untangled from him, feet on the ground. Already she felt empty. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, pink blush stretching from her stomach to her face.

“Get undressed and sit on the edge of the bed.” Her voice would be completely gone by morning.

Gage did as ordered, shrugging out of the shirt and pants without hesitation. He held out his arm for her. “Come here.”

Echo bit her lip, worrying the soft part between her teeth. In a raider sort of way, he was beautiful. Thin scars decorated his toned body; a shallow gouge along the top on his thigh where a bullet grazed him, a nasty curled scar from a twisted knife on his ribs, matching hers. Wiry hair dusted his chest. She smoothed her hands down it as she came to stand between his legs.

From this angle, he was at the perfect height to cup her breasts, his hands covering them completely. She pushed her chest out into his touch.

He was still hard, glistening from her arousal. She took him in hand and pumped.

“Fuck, Echo...”

Her breath caught. She couldn’t hold back anymore. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to ride you, and you’re going to give me what I want.”

Facing away from him, she straddled his legs, reaching back to guide his length into her again. Neither kept quiet as she seated herself on his lap, his hands coming up to brace her hips.

Every inch of him pressed into her, his movements slow and steady. But that was never enough for her.

Setting the pace herself, she lifted up and dropped down, hissing as he filled her again and again. A sweet pressure grew in her core.

He got the idea, guiding her back down to meet his upward thrusts, grunting against her neck.

“Ga-aa-age!”

He traced her earlobe with his tongue. “Hush, would you?”

“Want...” she panted, “...everyone to hear...who’s giving it to me so—so good!”

He bit her neck to keep quiet, cock twitching inside her. He kneaded her breasts.

She was babbling, and she didn’t care, near the breaking point. “So good for me, Porter. So perfect. Ah! Fuck!”

“Better knock that off, or this ain’t gonna last.” He put a hand to her mouth to quiet her.

She opened her mouth to take his fingers, but he had other ideas, hooking two of them in her cheek. A thrill ran through her at the wrongness of it. She bit down.

His thrusts grew erratic, other hand snaking down to play between her legs. She gave a stifled moan, body on fire. “Yes! Yes!”

“Where do you want me to, uhh...?”

“Inside.” Rads had their uses. With the way her core tensed, she wouldn’t hold out any longer than him.

“Is that safe?” His voice reached a new low, drawl more obvious.

“Trust me, I—-Gage!” Her climax took her by surprise, holding her under. The world zeroed in to his fingers rubbing harsh circles, his mouth on her shoulder as he cried out, filling her with his release.

When had she fallen over? She blinked, and suddenly she lay on the mattress, a ratty blanket thrown over her bare body. Gage tucked up beside her, wrapping an arm around her chest. “Oh good, you’re alive. Thought I’d have to start looking for a new Overboss.”

“That was your plan all along,” she said. Only a whisper came out. “Set me up. Fix up the parks. Fuck me to death.” Why was he still here?

“You caught me.”

The weight of sleep pressed at her, stealing all her energy to wiggle out of his grasp. She stayed put, her back to his chest. “You cuddle everyone you sleep with, or am I special?”

“What, you getting nervous or something? Don't worry, boss. I only got eyes for you.” Sleepy sounding, he nuzzled his face into the back of her shoulder.

She lay there in his arms, grinning in the dark. Only for her? “That was my first kiss.” Why did she say that out loud?

Quietly, as if only to himself, he said, “Well. Guess I’m special, too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Nuka-World needed only a strong leader to pull it together, to bring the parks back to Pre-War glory, plus a few extra skulls. Nisha, Mags, William, and even Shank mentioned it, in the causal raider way.

“Looks good, Overboss.”

“With the Pack gone, we’re really living.”

And the occasional, “I’m surprised you’re getting anything done. Well, anything else done,” with a pointed look at Gage.

For his part, he never strayed far from her side. They were happy. Everything fell so neatly into place for the first time in her life. One of the sermons of her childhood once said “only the Chosen will prosper”. She was beginning to think that was bullshit.

The park glowed with a thousand lights. She stood outside the Galactic Zone with Gage, their little fingers entwined. Her crews respected her. Her lover kissed her goodnight despite her scars. Her beloved dog roamed the Pack’s old hangout, sometimes sleeping at the foot of her bed. When she woke up haunted by her failures, she only had to look out over the balcony at her success to remember what she’d gained. What was that, if not prospering?

Echo looked out on all she’d accomplished—on all they’d accomplished—and beneath her bandana, she smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for sticking with it!
> 
> P.S. I will return in a few days for Kinktober 2020! See you soon!


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